The 2016 NFL Scouting Combine is finally history. After nearly a week in Indianapolis, the Detroit Lions now return to team headquarters in Allen Park to process the workouts. They also transition quickly into free agency mode, as veteran acquisition begins next week.
My focus while in Indy from Fri-Sun was admittedly on the draft overall and not so much on the Lions comings and goings. For example, I learned about the team’s interest in Bengals safety George Iloka when everyone else did, from Dave Birkett’s informative column at the Detroit Free Press.
Still, I wound up absorbing a lot of Lions-related information from various sources. Here are my takeaways from Indianapolis…
Calvin still hasn’t decided
I talked on Saturday with someone who knows Calvin Johnson well and has spoken to Megatron in the last week. His direct quote,
I can guarantee you (Calvin) has not made up his mind yet. Guaranteed.
As for the notion Johnson is angling to depart Detroit and land with a different team, or trying to extract more money?
People who say (these things) are (expletive) stupid. No (expletive) way. Calvin laughs at that (expletive).
He continued,
Calvin is watching to see who is spreading lies. …(there are a) lot of people who don’t know (expletive) talking like they know (expletive). He wants to know how they know something he doesn’t even know about himself.
This person would not comment when I asked him if he thought Johnson would in fact retire and I’m not going to insinuate his position from his body language. I’ll stand with my ongoing opinion that I strongly believe Johnson is going to retire.
Detroit’s WR board
One of the trendy mock draft selections for the No. 16 pick is Ole Miss WR Laquon Treadwell. I understand the logic, but in talking with some folks in Indy I get the sense the Lions would look in a different direction if they indeed want to address wideout that highly.
I’ll say it boldly and definitively right here:
If the Lions are taking a wideout at No. 16, it will be Michael Thomas from Ohio State
That is notwithstanding my rather underwhelming impression on Treadwell. Thomas tested better and has superior production, something that was cited to me more than once by a trusted Lions source. I’m also inclined to believe the Lions would take TCU’s Josh Doctson ahead of Treadwell, but that is more educated guesswork on my part than anything I have been told.
This Lions regime is focused more on what a player can do, not what a player has done, and Thomas offers more than Treadwell going forward. That’s not to say the Lions wouldn’t have interest in Treadwell as the physical wideout to play opposite Golden Tate, a role I believe he’d do quite well.
Which brings me to another point…
The Lions are just fine with Golden Tate as the No. 1 receiver on the roster. They need to add more around Tate and they are aware of this, but the coaching staff and Matthew Stafford would both be perfectly happy to enter the 2016 season with Golden Tate as the top dog.
If you’re looking for a couple of later-round wide receiver options I know the Lions have done a lot of legwork on, check out Georgia’s Malcolm Mitchell (a big Combine winner) and Clemson’s Charone Peake. You can ignore Marquez North and Duke Williams, neither of whom will be Lions.
Sorting DTs
The Lions met with just about every potential first-round defensive tackle in Indianapolis, from Andrew Billings to Kenny Clark to Robert Nkemdiche. I do not know how those meetings went other than I know the coaching staff really liked Billings’ quick recognition of what role he would play in Detroit.
With the First Pick
One player the team has thoroughly investigated is Louisiana Tech’s Vernon Butler, who had a disappointing all-around workout. His explosion numbers and overall athletic performance were both near the bottom of anyone in Indy. Cancel the first-round talk, but I strongly suspect if he lasts to the second round pick the Lions will still pounce. And he might.
Whitehead
After talking to a couple of divergent sources, I do not expect Tahir Whitehead back in Detroit. The free-agent linebacker will give the Lions a chance to retain his services, but one source familiar with the situation advised me Whitehead expects another team to value him more. I’m told he is open to returning and was happy the team retained Jim Caldwell as Head Coach, but sees himself with a chance to get more of a defined and consistent role in another city.
Quarterback
Matthew Stafford is firmly entrenched as the starter for the next few years. Behind him? Veteran Dan Orlovsky is a free agent. That’s the list.
Numerous sources have told me, both in Indianapolis and prior to the Combine, the team will bring in two new quarterbacks. It does not sound like Orlovsky will be back.
I won’t pretend to know what free agents the team is looking at to be the backup, other than it will be someone not earning much more than the veteran minimum and it likely won’t get filled until near or just after the draft.
I do expect the Lions to draft a quarterback, perhaps as early with the third round compensatory pick the team will get in the coming days. Two names to watch: Dak Prescott from Mississippi State and Brandon Allen from Arkansas. Prescott does a lot of the same things Tim Tebow did, only with a great deal more accuracy, and the team did send a scout to Bulldogs practice more than once last fall. I’m not a Brandon Allen fan.